SamTrans Passenger Survey Reveals Ridership Profile

SamTrans surveyed more than 5,000 passengers over several weeks last November, to help the agency get a better picture of who is riding its system and how it can best serve those customers. Preliminary results of the survey were presented at the transit district’s February board meeting.

SamTrans Ridership Facts at a Glance

• 75% use SamTrans five or more times per week
• 59% have no access to a car
• 52% use SamTrans to get to work and 22% use it to get to school
• 15% use SamTrans for shopping or personal errands
• 59% are employed and 18% are students
• 42% of adult riders have annual incomes of less than $25,000
• 10% of adult riders have annual incomes of $75,000 or more
• 48% pay fares with cash and 40% use a discounted monthly pass

The survey also asked the riders to rate SamTrans on a scale of 1 to 5 on a variety of different attributes (1 being the lowest and 5 being highest), and scored above average on all of them. SamTrans’ highest score was a 4.15 for the cleanliness of its buses, which are cleaned inside and out every day. The lowest score was a 3.55 for the frequency of its service, which is still well above the mid-point of 3.

The data collected in this survey is still being reviewed to extract additional information. A more complete report should be available within the next month. To view the survey “Key Findings” presentation, click HERE .

SamTrans operates 55 routes throughout San Mateo County and into parts of San Francisco and Palo Alto. Nearly 15 million passengers ride SamTrans throughout the year. For more information about SamTrans schedules and fares call the customer service line at 1-800-660-4287.